Allied Supranational Bodies
During the time after World War II, the Allied Nations went from solely being a military alliance to a supranational political and economical body, with governments uniting behind giving the Allies an increasing amount of influence over national policies and decisions. With the increasing powers came calls for the need of democratic processes even at the Allied level. In 1959 the Parliament of Democracies was established in London, after elections in all member countries. As of 1969, the number of Members of Parliament is 911. In the beginning, the parliament was chaotic due to the lack of any outspoken leader except the five Speakers of Parliament, who were relatively powerless due to the nations being unwilling to centralize the power in fear of losing influence. The need for a smaller decisive body was soon realized, and the Treaty of Luxembourg in 1961 established the Council of Secretaries, a group of 12 resembling a national government, but only treating communication between the different areas of Allied operation, proposing policies and implementing decisions. All the founding members (France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States) are guaranteed one post each on the Council. In addition, the heads of government of the Members of the Allied Nations regularly meet once per two months to discuss future policies and enactment of them with the Council of Secretaries. = The Council of Secretaries = Current Members Chairman U Thant "Wars begin in the minds of men, and in those minds, love and compassion would have built the defenses of peace." :- U Thant, talking about the long-term goals of the Allied Nations U Thant, current chairman of the Council of Secretaries, is a man many do not envy for his position. This is because U Thant is the public face of the Allied Nations. Thant was born under British colonial rule in what is now Burma, son of a landowner and merchant. Though his father's wealth easily provided for the family, Po Hnit's death led to a dispute over inheritance. Despite the financial difficulties, Thant attended university, and afterwords became the headmaster of the National School, and became friends with prime minister U Nu. Appointed secretary of the nation's Ministry of Information, Thant became Nu's closest adviser, writing speeches and organizing foreign visits for Nu. When Burma was finally independent of British rule, Thant became the nation's representative in the Allied Nations. He was formally made chairman after Dag Hammarskjöld stepped down from the post after the attempt on his life in 1961. Thant became an ardent fighter for peace, doing all in his power to try and bridge the gap between the Allied member-states and the Soviet Union. During WW3 he was a crucial figure in the peaceful transition of Cuba into a democratic government, even going so far as to grant official pardons to former members of the Castro regime. Unfortunately for Thant, the Allied Nations itself appears to be growing it's own will outside of what he as chairman would prefer. Though opposed to Ackerman's actions at Mt. Rushmore, Thant personally objected to the vote to occupy the United States with the Peacekeepers, and is highly critical of certain nations for their actions in the Vietnam conflict. This has only distanced Thant from these members, but many believe Thant will quickly be able to mend such tears. More pressing is the conflict between his own nation and the Atomic Kingdom, though Thant has shown little to no public outrage over the still-raging battles on the border. Privately, Thant is also known to track reports of UFOs with interest, and has recently made numerous inquiries on sightings of strange craft in the American Southwest, over Siberia, and in Southeast Asia. Vice Chairman Dr. Heinz Kissinger "Great powers have no principles — only interests." :- Dr. Kissinger, when asked about his belief in realpolitik. Dr. Heinz Kissinger is arguably the most controversial figure in the Allied Nations. His adherence to the concept of realpolitik has aggressively shaped Allied policy in the United States, Europe, and South Vietnam. Kissinger was born in Bavaria to a schoolteacher father and homemaker mother. Due to German prejudices against Jews, his family emigrated to America. Though intelligent, the economic situation for his family forced him to attend school during the night, and work in a shaving brush factory during the day. Though he was accepted into the City College of New York, he was drafted in 1943 due to the threat of war with the Soviets. Showing his capabilities as an administrator after Allied forces started rebuilding Germany, Kissinger became an academic, serving as a consultant to organizations like the State Department and Rand Corporation. His reputation soon attracted the Allies, and Kissinger accepted a post with in the office of American and Pacific Civil Affairs. Here, Johnson showed his adherence to realpolitik. Built on the idea that political power is built not on ideology but the ability to project power, Kissinger was vital to securing peaceable relations with the South Vietnamese and post-war Japan. With these successes, Thant appointed Kissinger as the Vice Secretary. With the power of his position, Kissinger has two overarching goals. First, opening any kind of dialogue with China. The Atomic Kingdom has power enough to be a major threat to both the Allies and Soviets, but Kissinger feels that if the Chinese can be contacted at all, then there is a chance to weaken the Soviets enough that the Allied Nations can secure much of the Middle East again. Second, the Vietnam conflict. Though the loss of Vietnam would frankly be small in the greater game of world politics, Kissinger knows that a victory by the Vietcong and NVA would embolden revolutions against the Allies internationally. Despite Thant's cries for peaceful negotiation, Kissinger has personally advised the Peacekeeper and Reservist commanders in Vietnam to use whatever means necessary to achieve military victory, and force the North to the bargaining table. This has earned him hatred worldwide, with many calling him a war criminal that needs to be tried. Secretary of Internal Communications Aylin Sökmen A distant relative to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself, the young miss Aylin Sökmen studied law in Istanbul and was quickly gaining fame as a talented woman with an organisatory skill like none else, single-handedly bringing a Turkish law firm on the brink of bankruptcy back on its feet with a management reconstruction and her infamous smile bringing confidence to many a businessman looking for a company to invest in. While the company would meet its demise a year after her departure following a return to severe mismanagement, Aylin Sökmen travelled abroad to see the world and study - her merits are unrivalled in the Council of Secretaries, having graduated from the universities of Paris, Stanford and Oxford with nothing but excellent grades. When the Second World War started, Sökmen was employed as one of many secretaries needed for the Allied commanders, being assigned to a relatively unremarkable officer before her apparent talents took her higher in the ranks, up until she began working for Field Marshal Von Esling himself. During this time she sat in several top Allied meetings, gaining interest in the inner workings of Allied High Command, and despite never admitting it to herself or anyone else, a streak of power hunger. After the war ended Sökmen moved over to the civilian part of the Allies, and upon the formation of the Council of Secretaries she first became the secretary to the Secretary of European Civil Affairs Rupert Thornley, the lack of capital S in "secretary" distinguishing her from the actual officials. When Thornley stepped down, she was left without a job in two months, until the Secretary of Internal Communications Manuel Rodriguez García (effectively the actual secretary of the Council of Secretaries, although calling it so would only serve to puzzle outsiders) stepped down due to health reasons. Sökmen was one of the candidates nominated first, and was elected to the council by the Parliament of Democracies with 471 votes out of 897, with an opposition divided between several candidates. Her job as secretary and responsibility for the communication between the Council and Parliament, among other things, is appreciated and she is regarded as one of the more effective officials in the Allied top ranks. Her natural pleasant charisma and professional tone makes her a very good represenative of the Council when the Chairman and Deputy Chairman cannot attend, as well as holding press conferences, making her a well known face for journalists, politicians and people in the know. Something less known is that she has been a trusted agent for the ACIN and its predecessors ever since her studies in Paris. Copies of internal protocols and memos tend to end up in the organisation's hands, giving it a good insight in the actual happenings in the Council of Secretaries. While not necessarily a bad thing, no one would expect that the trusted Sökmen is one of the biggest and potentially most dangerous security leaks in the Allied Nations. Her affiliation with the intelligence organisation does have its benefits, especially for the ACIN - eventual top secret and politically incorrect but important topics can mysteriously appear on the meeting agenda, presented in an innocent way without any questions. How much the rest of the Council has figured out about the matter is unknown. Secretary of International Relations Dag Hammarskjöld Called "the greatest statesman of our century" by Adm. Kennedy, Dag Hammarskjöld currently holds one of the most demanding posts in the Allied Nations. He is the Secretary of International Relations. Simply put, he tries to get all the member states to get along. Hammarskjöld was born to a family with a legacy of government service. His ancestors were servants of the Swedish monarchy since the 1600s, his father the prime minister. His first major posting was with the nation's unemployment committee, writing on the cycle of business for his economic thesis. Secretary of the Riksbank, primary architect of Europe's reconstruction post-war, and most incredibly, served in the Swedish government without ever actually joining a political party. His resume was reason enough that he was tapped by the Allies to lead the Office of International Relations. Not only is Hammarskjöld responsible for ensuring communication between member states is stable and clear, he is also the man that is considered the first name called when a newly independent nation or former colony requires assistance. This is most present in Africa, where dozens of formerly repressed ethnic groups and tribes now see old tensions bubbling up with the death of colonialism. One such trip nearly killed him, when rebel forces fired on the airliner he was traveling in over Rhodesia. Thanks to the pilot's skills, Hammarskjöld safely landed, and has seemingly made it his persona mission to end conflicts in Africa before they can even begin. His constant attempts to seek democratic, Western aligned governments has angered the Soviet Union, and multiple times Soviet leadership has asked for his resignation. Hammarskjöld has resisted, stating, "It is very easy to bow to the wish of a big power. It is another matter to resist it. If it is the wish of those nations who see the organization their best protection in the present world, I shall do so again." Secretary of Warfare Coordination René Lyon Secretary Lyon is a man whose life was waged in war. Company commander in the French garrison on the Ardennes during World War II, made a commander of the Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur, and advocate of the Peacekeeper divisions since their inception, Lyon has built his life around war. A captain when World War II started, Lyon first rose to prominence when his company was transferred into Nord-Pas-de-Calais to prevent the Soviets from crossing the border and taking the vital coal mines in the region. The mission was eventually expanded to moving the company into Germany to assist the German forces in keeping their roads secured. Lyon, a man with a known temper and blunt mannerisms, almost personally launched France and Germany into a war when he decried the German leadership for the placement of their anti-tank specialists at the front. With a hurried, translation, Lyon "advised" the German forces to position the specialists not just behind the front, but instead hidden just inside the tree lines near many of the major roads. The Soviets forces in the area, ordered to make a breakthrough into France at all costs, demolished the German lines trying to make the objective. Unable to press into the trees and eliminate the infantry that were destroying the column, Lyon himself earned his place in the legion when he personally rallied the French and German forces in a fierce counter-charge that pushed many of the Soviet support forces from the now-encircled armored column. Already a national hero by World War III, Lyon was one of the members of Allied high command captured by the Soviets during the battle for Cannes. Though beaten, Lyon reportedly sang the national anthem of France until rescued by Agent Tanya. His popularity among many soldiers and civilians skyrocketing, the Allies made the executive decision to appoint him to the Council of Secretaries, head of the Office of Warfare Coordination. Unfortunately for Lyon, the council is as much a political position as it is administrative. Though knowing fully well that Europe is still reeling from the previous war, Lyon has "advised" all Central European nations to start fortifying their borders in preparation for a renewed Soviet assault. While this alone would make the man incredibly unpopular, he has gone to state numerous times that the Confederate movement in America should be considered no less than an act of war against other Allied member-states. His views on the conflict in Vietnam are similar, since as a proud French patriot he considers the NVA actions at Dien Bien Phu the work of communist madmen. Tellingly, Lyon is also suspicious of the council itself. Though unwilling to state it out loud at his current position even with his personality, he has started to note that the Allies are not the pact of common defense they once were. Instead, Lyon has stated privately that they are becoming something wholly more dangerous. He considers ACIN dangerous due to the fact that no one quite knows who is in command, and that they appear to have agents spread nearly everywhere. His greatest suspicion falls on James Lockhart, who Lyon is nearly convinced is funneling information on the secretaries meetings to ACIN through someone in his office. Without proof, however, Lyon is currently restricted to his other duties. He has set the overarching operational objectives for the Peacekeepers worldwide, has widened somewhat the range of equipment utilized, and most importantly is one of the few men to know the truth: Gregor Zelinskey is not only alive, but created the world as it is. Secretary of Common Justice José Bustamante y Rivero Secretary of European Civil Affairs Kurt Waldheim Secretary of African and Asian Civil Affairs Boutros Boutros-Ghali Secretary of American and Pacific Civil Affairs Lyndon B. Johnson Formerly the Democratic candidate for President of the United States of America, Lyndon B. Johnson took his defeat by Howard T. Ackerman in stride and went on to achieve greater political success in the Allied Parliament. A prominent social activist known for his vision of a "Great Society" in the Allied Nations and his so-called War on Poverty program, Lyndon B. Johnson believes wholeheartedly in the Allied Nations and their promise for a better society and better future. When the Confederate Revolutionaries declared war on the Allied Nations, Lyndon B. Johnson refused any association with the movement and vowed to uphold the principles and vision of the Allied Nations for the good of all, including Americans. He is generally not loved by Americans, and despised by the Confederate Revolutionaries, but he is widely respected in the rest of the Allied Nations. Less well known is his involvement in the Vietnam War. He has been a prominent influence on the war's conduct and agenda, but the intense criticism that he might otherwise have been subjected to has been deflected by the Third World War and the rising Confederate crisis. Secretary of Science and Technology Werner Heisenberg " The more precisely the position is determined, the less precisely the momentum is known in this instant, and vice versa." :- Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle Secretary of Environment and Agriculture Norman Borlaug "It is a sad fact that on this earth at this late date there are still two worlds, "the privileged world" and "the forgotten world". The privileged world consists of the affluent, developed nations, comprising twenty-five to thirty percent of the world population, in which most of the people live in a luxury never before experienced by man outside the Garden of Eden. The forgotten world is made up primarily of the developing nations, where most of the people, comprising more than fifty percent of the total world population, live in poverty, with hunger as a constant companion and fear of famine a continual menace." :- Norman Borlaug Farming is a natural way of life to Sec. Borlaug. Raised on a large farm in Iowa, a young Norman learned all he could about farming and agriculture from his grandfather and father. Unlike other Iowa farm boys, Norman was encouraged to leave the land and become a scholar, learning agriculture and forestry from the University of Minnesota. Working with the starving unemployed in the Civilian Conservation Corps, the sights of the starving men before his "left scars" that he still carries today. Working with a program to improve Mexican wheat crops, Borlaug made massive inroads into plant genetics and diseases, more efficient and sustainable methods of farming becoming the focus of his life. He sought to make plants hardier, to turn harsh grounds into fertile fields. To ease the life of the farmer while destroying the diseases that preyed on his crops. His team looked into advanced irrigation techniques and affordable machinery to ease the physical and mental burdens on farmers. This new "Green" revolution, as it has been coined since Borlaug was asked to become secretary, has increased crop yields tremendously around the world. This has also had the side-effect of the Allied Nations being a leader in genetics, at least in regards to agriculture. This has not come without criticism. Many claim that genetically modifying organisms has never been attempted before, and that the side-effects may adversely affect humans. Others state that the new methods of farming aren't ecologically sound, that more land is needed as demand dictates. The most vocal have leveled the claim that these new advancements make smaller nations more dependent on the Allies, willing to surrender their sovereignty in exchange for survival, as companies like DuPont and Monsanto reap the profits. Borlaug has taken these criticisms under advisement, but has also made it his mission to travel to the areas where these advancements most benefit the people, in order to remind himself of what he is fighting for. Secretary of Infrastructure and Reconstruction Raymond Scheyven Notable Former Secretaries Rupert Thornley Formerly a British Member of Parliament engaged in foreign and trade affairs, the entrepreneur Rupert Thornley was a prominent supporter of the formation of Allied Nations since the very beginning of the talks, and he argued for it several times in the House of Commons. When the Allies formed as a political body, Thornley decided to aim for a place in Allied Command, thus leaving the political scene in his home country. His staunch and constant support for the free market and company rights was maintained and successfully spiced with anti-Soviet rhetoric when he was appointed as Allied Secretary of European Civil Affairs in 1962, which was responsible for regulating transit and market rules among other things. During the years as Secretary, he was accused of conflict of interest due to Thornley being a major shareholder in the Dutch company FutureTech, which suspiciously enough gained many contracts for creating weaponry for the Allied Nations. When most of the later FutureTech projects failed spectacularly, and attention was drawn to the fact that Thornley had personally insisted on approving them, he was forced to resign from his position. Shortly afterwards, he became the chairman of FutureTech, now a declining company. Thornley’s leadership has not changed this fact much, and later successes have come independently of his leadership. The FutureTech scandal has dominated his reputation, which was otherwise relatively unremarkable as World War III overshadowed most of the business Thornley was responsible for. His legacy does however remain in the "Thornley Tax Reductions" for the military-industrial complex. = Parliament of Democracies = Current amount of Members of Parliament per country: USA: 56 Germany: 56 United Kingdom: 50 (including Sealand representative) France: 49 India: 42 Brazil: 37 Italy: 30 Pakistan: 24 Mexico: 24 Turkey: 24 Spain: 23 Thailand: 21 Egypt: 20 South Africa: 20 Canada: 20 Poland: 18 South Korea: 18 Netherlands: 18 Argentina: 17 Colombia: 17 Romania: 16 Australia: 16 Belgium: 16 Morocco: 13 Peru: 13 Malaya: 13 Venezuela: 13 Czechoslovakia: 13 Hungary: 12 Yugoslavia: 12 Portugal: 12 Greece: 11 Bulgaria: 11 Sweden: 11 Austria: 11 Chile: 10 Cuba: 10 Switzerland: 10 Ecuador: 9 Denmark: 9 Finland: 9 Norway: 8 Saudi Arabia: 7 Dominican Republic: 6 Haiti: 6 Bolivia: 6 Ireland: 6 New Zealand: 6 Paraguay: 5 Nicaragua: 5 Albania: 4 Singapore: 4 Jamaica: 3 Panama: 3 Costa Rica: 3 Lesotho and Swaziland: 3 Namibia: 3 Botswana: 3 Cyprus: 2 Luxembourg: 2 Iceland: 2 UAP: 1 special representative Notable Members of Parliament James Lockhart One of the more recently elected members of Parliament, James Lockhart is a noted Peacekeeper officer and veteran of the Third World War, seeing action at Dunkirk, Brighton Beach, Normandy, and subsequent battles throughout the liberation of France and Germany. A sniper's bullet during the Second Battle of Berlin pierced his spine and paralyzed him from the waist down, effectively ending his military career. Although surgery later restored most motor function, Lockhart chose to gracefully retire from the military and use his reputation as a war hero to propel him into politics. With his reputation and background, James Lockhart is privy to many of Parliament's less public deliberations and classified information. This would not be a problem if his personal secretary (and primary mistress) hadn't begun an affair with a charming young man in revenge for her boss taking another mistress. A charming young man who passes along everything his lover sees and hears on the job to what he believes is a Syndicate group paying him very well indeed for his intelligence. He would never guess that someone has the gall to masquerade as a shadowy Syndicate group, and has never heard of the Order of the Talon, which counts him among their more useful pawns. Sarah Gisladottir The child of an American immigrant to Iceland and a native citizen, hence her unusual first name for an Icelander, Sarah Gisladottir is known for being one of the most outspoken conservatives in the Allied Parliament. Sharply critical of the Allied-Imperial alliance against the Soviet Union, and more recently against the Allied intervention in the United States, Gisladottir has made no secret of her belief that the Allied Nations are walking a dangerous road, and advocates that the Allied Nations return to its original function as a mutual defence pact rather than the international governmental organisation it is starting to become. Hers has never been a popular view, but recent events such as the formation of the Confederate Revolutionaries have lead more than a few representatives to wonder if Sarah Gisladottir might actually have a good point. Khalid bin Abdul-Aziz Often regarded as a highly eccentric member of Parliament prone to fear-mongering, Khalid bin Abdul-Aziz is a member of the Saudi royal family and retired Chief of Staff for the Royal Saudi Navy. For years, Abdul-Aziz has attempted to gather Allied support for an intervention in the Middle East, claiming that the Global Liberation Army is a more serious danger than the Allied Nations realize, and that even so the GLA is but the least of the dangers the Allied Nations are ignoring. His claims of a rogue military organization claiming Jerusalem and the surrounding region have consistently met with skepticism from Parliament, and his claims that said organization has battled a doomsday cult across the sands for centuries has convinced much of the Allied public that Abdul-Aziz is, if not outright delusional, then at least prone to fanciful interpretations of simpler events. Regarded as a quack by many, Abdul-Aziz nevertheless persists in claiming that the Allied Nations are willfully looking away from a great danger to the entire world. Maria Coronado Noted for her composed nature even when debating fiercely with other members of Allied Parliment, Maria Vasquez Coronado is one of the more avid supporters of the Allied Nations and a heavy advocate for increased globalization. The increased industrialisation of Mexico and the rise of the Confederate Revolutionaries has been a great boost to the collected repesentative and chemist, as more and more research firms are moving outside the United States to deal with the less-chaotic souther neighbor. More recently, however, Maria has started calling for a more unified and targeted response to the "American problem" - bands of raiders in Confederate uniforms and the insignia of scorpions tails who've sabotaged several chemical plants over the past few months has convinced her that a new special forces branch of the Confederacy has been formed in an attempt to attack Mexican assets, and picture evidence of one of these raiders stringing up security guards has made her words for harsher retaliation increasingly more popular among smaller Latin American and European countries. Kim Yu-Ri Kim Yu-Ri had an unusual introduction to international politics: on her back. The favoured mistress of a former South Korean member of Parliament, Kim Yu-Ri quickly proved to be an adept learner with uncanny insight into politics and manoeuvring - it was not long before the rest of Parliament realised that she was the true brains behind an otherwise mediocre politician known for his droning speeches rather than any great political skill. When he died of a heart attack in 1968, Kim Yu-Ri managed to secure election in his place. One of the more colourful members of Allied Parliament, Kim Yu-Ri is quickly earning a reputation for being tough on corruption and tougher on members of Parliament who abuse their powers. This stance has not endeared her to the rest of Parliament, but the South Korean populace is fiercely supportive of her, especially given that nation's growing problems with the Yakuza and other sources of corruption. Giacomo de Gasperi In theory, Giacomo de Gasperi is a duly selected representative of Italy in Parliament, chosen for his acknowledged economic expertise. In reality, Giacomo de Gasperi is for all intents and purposes the Mediterranean Syndicate's voice in Parliament. The de Gasperi were formerly one of the more notorious Mafia families, and the first to jump ship to the Mediterranean Syndicate. Today, their reputation has barely changed, and the rest of Parliament knew full well what had happened when a scion of that family was "elected" to Parliament. To his credit, Giacomo de Gasperi has kept a relatively low profile since his arrival in London, and only rarely speaks on economic or political matters. When he does, Parliament knows it is effectively the Mediterranean Syndicate speaking. Margaret Thatcher "To those waiting with bated breath for that favourite media catchphrase, the U-turn, I have only one thing to say: You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning." :- Margaret Thatchdr Known as a woman with an iron fist holding onto her principles, former chemist Margaret Thatcher made a career in British politics and advanced quickly from Member of Parliament to a minor government office, but left domestic politics to stand for election to the Parliament of Democracies. Her strong opposement to the cease-fire with the Soviets and calls for taking measures against domestic communism earned her the nickname "The Iron Lady" in Soviet press scaremongering against hostile Allied politicians, a nickname she has taken to heart. Mostly campaigning for an even more increased defense budget and cuts especially in Allied social security and funding of the mining industry, her reputation is highly divisive especially in her native United Kingdom where she is seen as either a sole strong voice against defeatism or a dangerous threat to the welfare of the common citizen. Andzrej Brodowski Formerly a renowned professor in Philosophy at the University of Kraków, Brodowski and his family fled Poland during World War II for the United Kingdom, where he started teaching at Cambridge. He became locally infamous as a Polish nationalist, often decrying his life-long back problems as the only reason he wasn't on the field fighting to save his home country. Marrying a British woman and remaining in the country, he remained a critic of the Soviet expansionism until World War III proved him right. After the war, he gained fame nationally condemning the truce and "the abandonment of valued Allied nations" on the roof of Buckingham Palace. He still refuses to detail how he got up there. He was later elected to the Parliament of Democracies, notably gaining 94% of the Polish exile votes in Britain and leading the parliamentary informal "Düsseldorf Club", a group of Eastern European MPs originally meeting in Düsseldorf aiming to sway the Allies into returning to war and liberating the Eastern European countries. Guillaume Vahirua The only French Polynesian Member of Parliament, former Colonel of the French Army Guillaume Vahirua was the commander of the Tahiti garrison during the Second World War and gained notoriety for his paranoia, forcing the garrison to patrol the coasts 24 hours a day in fear of an attack, despite the Soviets not having anything close to the capacity to project forces south of Manila. Later becoming a successful local politician, his claims that the modernization of the Imperial Army was a danger made him a popular choice of speaker at anti-Empire rallies during the war and even now that peace has been made between the two powers. He believes that the Empire has not given up their Divine Destiny and repeatedly advocates voiding the Allied-Imperial trade agreements, which got him elected into the Allied Parliament. Currently his popularity is sinking as the Imperial technology is reconstructing cities and landmarks all over Europe, making him increase the ferocity of his remarks. When Emperor Kamina visited London in May 1969, Vahirua was conspicuous by his absence. Nelson Mandela "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." :- Nelson Mandela Born into the Xhosa tribe, the young man who would be known as Nelson Mandela (he got his name from a teacher) began his political career by pro-civil rights activism at the local university. He gained notoriety quickly, and after the victory of pro-civil rights parties in South Africa in the 1948 election he became secretary to the Minister of Justice. Mandela was influential in the process leading up to the Civil Rights Act of 1951, ending segregation and enforcing complete and equal civil rights. He stepped down as Minister of Justice, a position he earned in 1956, to stand for election to the Parliament of Democracies in order to influence countries less advanced in civil rights than South Africa. He is mostly famous in the northern hemisphere for championing the Equality and Integration Act, effectively implementing anti-segregation policies in all of the Allied Nations. For this, he has gained many friends but also many enemies whose powers have diminished. Tomás Jatobá The war was all but over when Brazil joined the Allies in late 1968, and its military contributions were thus rather slim compared to the country's size, mostly patrolling the coasts of South America and keeping Uruguay on its toes. Still, Brazil is a large country and has many representatives in parliament. Unfortunately, not all of them are very engaged in the Allies as Brazil has never been threatened by foreign invaders, and Tomás Jatobá is one of these people. A famed local politician, Jatobá was elected running on a platform of less Allied intervention, lower taxes and demobilization. His alternative budget for 1969 angered those still fighting in Europe severely as it proposed cutting military spending by a third, just as the war had ended, and relocating much of the money to investment projects on superficial things such as giant sports arenas and a fifty-foot statue in Rio de Janeiro - suspiciously enough, many of the projects were in Brazil. He claims that there is no military threat anywhere near Brazil right now - Uruguay is weak, the rest of South America is Allied, and "nothing ever happens up in Guyana anyways". Morris Tilllagar Founder of the current anti-Syndicate movement within the Allied Parliament, Morris Tilllagar is currently parliament's most controversial members. Growing up in a strictly traditional Catholic family Tilllagar believes that if someone does something immoral and/or against the law that they must be put down swiftly and without mercy. When first elected to the parliament Tilllagar pushed through many industry reforms and shouting (often literally) that no one, no matter how rich, should be above the law. Seeing the Syndicate as an undisciplined unethical monster, Tilllagar has made it his personal mission to see them contained and hopefully someday dismantled; a feeling that only has been intensified by the fact that the Syndicate turned the city of Belfast into "Satellite City". While considered by most to be a raving radical, Tilllagar's anti-Syndicate movement has recently been gaining massive support, especially from the Greek members of Parliament who feel their country has been enslaved by the Syndicate for too long. Category:Characters